


Ghost Chasers

by marblemason



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Shapeshifters - Freeform, Vampires, Werewolves, and also disaster gays, claire and leon are dorks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-08-20 20:22:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20233819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marblemason/pseuds/marblemason
Summary: Claire Redfield and Leon Kennedy are aspiring paranormal investigators. In search of a new story, they travel to the Arklay Mountains to visit the infamous Spencer Mansion, where locals have reported paranormal activity. However, the pair ends up dealing with more than they bargained for, and Claire might be more into vampires than she thought.





	1. Arklay

**Author's Note:**

> there arent enough clada-centric fics in the world, so here's my attempt to remedy that.

“You kids are really set on doing this, huh?”

Marvin, the Uber driver Claire had gotten them back in Raccoon City, looked back at Claire and Leon in the rearview mirror. “They say Arklay’s cursed, you know. People go missing up here almost every year. Some of the locals even say they’ve seen zombies and the like - not that I believe ‘em, but point is, the place is freaky. No telling what’s in these woods. You sure you’re prepared?”

Claire gave him her most reassuring smile. “Ready as we’ll ever be! Trust me, we’ve been prepping for this investigation since forever. Right, Leon?”

Leon was in the seat beside her, fiddling with his camera. Claire had given it to him on his 21st birthday. His old one had gotten tragically crushed to pieces on one of their previous investigations. 

“Hell yeah!” He said. “This is like, our dream come true. Cursed or not, Arklay is nothing the Ghost Chasers can’t handle!”

He turned to Claire and they gave each other a high-five. Ghost Chasers was their brand name - a project they’d started back in high school when the two of them discovered their shared interest in the paranormal. Sure, it was cheesy, and sure, their YouTube channel hadn’t even broken 500 subscribers yet, even after four years, but Claire was sure this investigation would be their big hit. Arklay and the Spencer Mansion were local legends. There was no doubt about it; this was going to be their big break.

As long as we get some damn good footage, Claire thought.

Marvin chuckled. “Well, alright then. If you say so. I just don’t want to be responsible for the untimely deaths of a couple of kids. Anyway, this should be a good place for me to drop you two off.”

The car slowed, and then stopped on the side of the road. Claire leaned in front of Leon to look out the window, wondering if she could catch a glimpse of the estate from where they were, but all she saw were trees and brush. That alone, though, was enough to give her a shiver of nervous excitement. 

“Here we are, then,” Marvin said. “You kids be careful now. And just give me a ring if you need a ride back to Raccoon, alright?”

“Got it!” Claire said, as she and Leon gathered their bags. If all went well, they were planning on camping out overnight, so they had a sizeable haul. “Thanks, Marvin. You’re the best.”

Claire clapped him on the shoulder as they exited the car. They’d dealt with some seriously shady Uber drivers in the past, so Marvin was a welcome change of pace.

Once Leon managed to squeeze all their belongings and equipment out of the car, Marvin gave them a wave. “Good luck out there. And if you see any zombies, try not to get eaten.”

Claire nodded and gave him a salute. “Will do, sir.”

With that, Marvin drove off, and the pair were left completely alone in the supposedly cursed Arklay wilderness.

“So,” Leon said, “Where are we setting up camp?”

“Well...I’m glad you asked! Because I’ve already picked out a spot,” Claire told him. She pulled her map out of the pocket of her jacket and unfolded it. “There should be a little stream to the north of here. I was thinking we could set up there. It’s right near the Spencer Mansion.”

“And...how far is it from where we are now?” Leon asked.

“Um,” Claire squinted down at the map again. “About a mile.”

He groaned. “Are you serious?”

“Hey, you wanna have a good spot, don’t you? Come on, you big baby, it’s not that far. We’ll be able to get there before nightfall.”

Leon frowned. “It’s far when you’re carrying an entire campsite on your back!”

Claire rolled her eyes. “Then hand something over, Kennedy. I can help! Besides, it’ll be worth it.”

Leon sighed, but he was grinning and held out one of the bags. “Sure, Redfield. We’ll do it your way.”

Claire snatched the bag and slung it over her shoulder. “Damn straight.”

\--

They arrived just before nightfall, as Claire predicted. By the time they reached the site, Claire’s tank top was soaked through with sweat and she was sure she acquired at least ten mosquito bites. Leon didn’t look much better. His hair was riddled with leaves and twigs, and his Ghost Chasers t-shirt - a piece of their own merch, with their logo in the center with bright green font - was even more soaked than Claire’s tank top.

The Arklay wilderness was just as unforgiving as they heard. Nothing but trees as far as the eyes could see. Every direction looked identical, and if not for Claire’s compass, they would have gotten lost without a doubt. It felt a bit like being in Blaire Witch, and as far as Claire was concerned, that was fucking awesome. 

As soon as they found their site, both of them dropped the bags on the ground and nearly collapsed.

“Well,” Claire said, panting and wiping the sweat from her forehead, “That was a hell of a start to our trip, huh?”

“You can say that again,” Leon said. He plopped onto the ground, his face glistening with sweat. “Jesus, I already want a shower.”

“The stream’s right there, but I don’t know if I’d recommend that,” Claire said.

Leon made a face. “Yeah, no thanks. Give me a bottle of water, though, would you?”

Their camp setup wasn’t impressive by any means, but it was what two millennials with an unsuccessful YouTube channel could afford - two sleeping bags and a flimsy tent that was a little on the small side. 

When everything was in place, the two of them stepped back to admire their work.  
Leon shrugged. “Not bad for our first shot.”

Claire nodded. “It’s...got its own kind of charm.”

“Not like we’re gonna be sticking around anyway.” Leon held up his camera and grinned. “I think it’s about time we pay the estate a visit.”


	2. The Mansion

They didn’t bother changing clothes for their investigation. By this point in their ghost-chasing career, they accepted that being sweaty and smelly was just part of the job, and neither of them particularly minded it. It was just part of the experience.

Leon’s camera was ready to go, and Claire had their other equipment - the EMF meter, a spirit box, and a bottle of holy water just in case, all stored in her fanny pack. Maybe it was a little cliche, and they’d never holy water in the past, but if there was anything she’d learned from horror movies, it was that you could never be too careful. 

“The mansion should be just north of here,” she said as she clicked on the flashlight. 

“So, have people actually reported zombies?” Leon asked.

“People have reported all sorts of things,” Claire replied. She checked her compass and took the lead in the direction of the mansion. “Some say ghosts, some say zombies - some even say vampires and werewolves.”

Leon’s eyes widened. “Vampires and werewolves? Seriously?”

Claire nodded. “There’s some farmland not far from here. We passed it on our way, remember? Some of those farmers have reported livestock getting eaten by...something. At first, they thought it was coyotes, but the bitemarks more closely resembled wolves. And wolves aren’t native to this part of the country.”

“Sounds sort of convincing,” Leon said. “What about the vampires, though? How do they back that up?”

“That’s where it starts getting _ really _good. You remember what Marvin said about people going missing up here, right? Well, some of those people turned up again. And when they did, they had punctures in their necks - right about here.” She motioned to where her neck and shoulder met, right near her collarbone. “They couldn’t identify what made the marks.”

“Wait, so - they weren’t killed?”

Claire shook her head. “Nope. But they all said they couldn’t recall what gave them the marks. Most of them shrugged and said it was probably some weird bug bite.”

“Huh...” Leon rubbed his chin. “Listen, I’m down for ghosts, but if we see any vampires or werewolves, I hope you know I’m turning tail right then and there. If one of those things grab you, you’re on your own.”

Claire laughed. “Really? You’re that scared of them? Even after, like, _Twilight_? I thought vampires and werewolves were way past being scary.”

“I mean, listen, ghosts are one thing! They aren’t...physical, you know? They can’t hurt you unless they like, pull some poltergeist shit. A werewolf, though? They can tear you to shreds! And I am _ not _down for that.”

“That’s a fair point,” Claire said. “I dunno, though. I think they’d be kinda neat.”

Leon shook his head. “Then you can be the one to negotiate with them. I’ll be the one to run for help.”

The Spencer Mansion was impressive, to say the least.

When it first came into view, framed by the trees and with the half-moon rising behind it, Claire felt like she was in a movie. The photographs she’d seen really didn’t do it justice - “mansion” almost seemed like an understatement. It was more like a full-fledged castle. 

She heard Leon catch his breath beside her. “Holy shit.”

“Are you recording this?” She whispered. She wasn’t sure why she suddenly felt like she had to keep her voice down, but it almost felt like she needed to show respect in the presence of the mansion - or for whatever was lurking inside.

He nodded. “God, it’s...bigger than it looks in the photos.”

They stood there for a moment, as Leon filmed and as Claire filed through the mansion’s history in her head. She’d read numerous articles and essays about it in preparation. Oswell Spencer, the mansion’s owner, was thought to have been completely mad. He’d begun planning the mansion in 1962, for reasons unknown, and hired an architect by the name of George Trevor to construct it. Rumor had it that Spencer was hiding something within the mansion - treasure or something of the sort. Allegedly, Spencer had killed George in order to protect the secrets of the mansion, after keeping him imprisoned there for years. As far as anyone knew, the mansion was now unoccupied; Spencer hadn’t been seen in years and was presumed dead, but with rumors of deadly traps and supernatural happenings within the mansion’s walls, no one had dared to investigate it.

_ Until now, _Claire thought. She took a deep breath. They were really doing this.

“Did you get the footage?” Claire asked, trying to distract herself. 

“Sure did,” Leon replied. He lowered the camera and stared ahead, taking in the view once again. Then he looked at Claire. “Are we ready?”

Claire tried to give him a confident smile. “As I’ll ever be.”

“What do we do then, just...march up to the front door? Knock?”

She shrugged. “Worth a shot.”

As they approached the front doors, Claire readied the EMF. For now, the readings seemed normal. There didn’t seem to be much of an increase as they neared the mansion. 

The front doorway was decorated with various inscriptions and symbols that Claire couldn’t possibly decipher. She pulled her phone out of her fanny pack and snapped a picture. Maybe she could find some answers once they were out of here.

“So uh...” Leon glanced anxiously at her and then back at the door. “Do you wanna knock, or -”

Claire rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine, I’ll do it.” 

Leon let out a sigh of relief. He stepped to the side and let Claire through, and she knocked firmly three times on the door.

“Hello? Anyone home?” She called. There was no reply.

She glanced down at the EMF. Nothing.

She tried knocking again. Nothing.

Leon sighed. “Well, maybe we should just - “

He didn’t get to finish. A dark shape dove towards them, too quickly for Claire to tell what it was, but it could’ve been a raven. It flew circles around Leon’s head, screeching loudly, the sound like nails on a chalkboard, as its wings batted at his face. 

“Jesus Christ! Get the fuck off!” Leon shouted. He was waving his hands wildly, but the creature made no attempt to flee. 

“Fuck _ off _, you stupid bastard!” Claire held her flashlight like a baseball bat and swung forward, trying to smack it away, but it moved too quickly. Foolishly, she swung again, and the flashlight made impact - not with the dark shape, but with Leon’s head.

There was a loud _ THUMP _and Leon fell backward onto the ground.

The dark shape left just as quickly as it came, disappearing into the darkness and the trees. 

“Oh no. Oh no no no,” Claire muttered to herself as she knelt down and checked on Leon - he was out cold. She slapped him gently, and he didn’t even twitch. “Shit, shit, _ shit _-”

_ What do I do, how do I get him back, do we even HAVE our first aid supplies - _

Her panicked thoughts were cut short when a heavy object slammed into the back of her skull, and the world started spinning.

The last thing she heard was a man’s voice, muffled by the ringing in her ears, saying, “Jill, over here! I got the girl! Help me tie ‘em!”

Then everything went dark. 

  



	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quick note that claire and chris arent related in this fic because it doesnt work for the plot oops

Claire wasn’t sure how long she was out. 

When her eyes finally fluttered open, her vision was still fuzzy. She could see light, though - soft and warm, like candlelight. 

As her sight returned, so did her hearing. Though the sounds were still muffled, she could make out voices.

"We found them out front." That voice sounded familiar. It was a man's voice, similar to the one she'd heard before she passed out. "Looked like they were trying to get in."

"What should we do with ‘em?" A second voice - another man, but he sounded older. "Does Wesker know?"

“Not yet.” The third voice was feminine. “We all know what  _ he’d  _ want to do with them, anyway. They aren’t armed, and they certainly don’t  _ look  _ like a threat...”

“So you searched them?” Another female voice. 

“Completely. No weapons. Just a bottle of fake holy water.”

“Wait, hush! I think they’re starting to come to.”

“Wh...” Claire tried to move, but her hands and ankles were bound by ropes. Her heart rate spiked. “H-holy shit.”

All at once, everything started to come into focus, and she realized that she wasn’t outside the mansion anymore. She was in a dimly lit room with no windows. There were candlelit lamps on the walls, casting golden light around the room. She was on the floor, and she was tied to something - when she looked back, she could see that it was Leon. 

“ _ Leon _ !” 

No reply. He was still out cold.

When she turned back around, she found herself staring at four unfamiliar faces.

“Who the  _ fuck  _ -”

“Calm down,” one of them said. It was a woman with short brown hair, dressed in a blue tube top and black skirt. She kneeled in front of Claire. “You’re not in danger. We just have a couple of questions -”

“I think I’d like to ask  _ you  _ a couple of questions first,” Claire shot back.”Where the hell am I? Why am I tied up? And who  _ are  _ you people?”

The woman shrugged. “That’s fair, I suppose. First off, I’m Jill. And they’re Chris, Barry, and Ada.”

She gestured to the other three standing behind her. Chris was a large, broad-shouldered man with short brown hair, probably only a couple years older than Claire. He was dressed in a leather jacket, jeans, and heavy boots, which, if not for the current circumstances, Claire would’ve thought was cool. He stood with his arms crossed, leaning back against the wall.

Barry was the man beside him. He was an older, bearded man with a receding hairline, wearing a red vest over a white undershirt. His face was set in a stony expression as he studied her. 

The last of the three, Ada, didn’t seem particularly interested in what was going on; she was checking her nails as Jill spoke. She was an Asian woman with short hair, wearing a dark red dress and heels. She looked like she was dressed for a high-class party of some sort. 

“You’re inside the Spencer Mansion,” Jill went on. “And, just so you know, I advised against tying you up, but Chris insisted.”

She shot a glance at him, and Chris scowled. “Well, they could’ve been dangerous! They could  _ still  _ be dangerous!”

Jill ignored him. “Well, anyway. I’m sorry this had to be handled this way. We really mean you no harm.”

“Unless  _ you  _ mean  _ us  _ harm,” Barry added. He narrowed his eyes at Claire. “What are you doing in this part of Arklay?”

Claire swallowed. “Well, um...my friend and I are paranormal investigators. You know, ghost hunters. Ghost Chasers - that’s our YouTube channel.”

Jill looked at her strangely. “YouTube?”

“Uh, yeah,” Claire said. “We came out here looking for, you know, ghosts and stuff. We heard there were a lot of reports around here, and we came hoping to catch some on video. That’s all. W-we didn’t mean to trespass or anything. We just...didn’t think that anyone lived here anymore.”

“I see,” Jill said. She stood up and turned back to the others. “I believe her. I don’t see any reason to keep them like this.”

“You may not, but Wesker might,” Ada said. She fixed Claire in a sharp gaze, and Claire’s throat suddenly felt very dry. “We should hold them until he tells us what to do with them.”

Jill rolled her eyes. “Do we really care so much about what Wesker thinks?”

“No,” Ada said, “But you do know he’ll throw a fit if we release two humans without him knowing, right? And I doubt any of us want to deal with  _ that  _ situation.”

_ Humans?  _ Was that what she just called them?

Claire must have been imagining things.

Jill sighed. “Well, yes, I guess you’re right. I’ll let him know, then. But in the meantime, we could at least untie them.”

“And then what? Let them roam around at their leisure until Wesker wants to see them?” Barry asked.

“Wait,” Claire interjected, “Who’s Wesker?”

She didn’t get a response.

“Well, I’m sure they could use a shower and a change of clothes. We could at least show them some hospitality, after what we put them through,” Jill said. “Besides, the blonde one isn’t even awake yet.” 

“He - he is alive, isn’t he?” Claire asked. She’d hit him pretty hard with the flashlight. God, if Leon was dead...

“Oh, he is, don’t worry,” Jill reassured her. “But you did hit him hard. Which was my fault, of course. Sorry about that.” 

“Wait...how...?”

Jill gave her a mischievous smile but didn’t answer her. Instead, she asked, “What’s your name, anyway?”

“Um, Claire. And my friend is Leon.”

“Alright, Miss Claire - how about we get you out of those ropes and into a shower, hm?”

She nodded back at Chris, and reluctantly, he approached to untie her. Or maybe “untie” wasn’t the right word for it - Chris approached her and tore the ropes right off, which was a bit jarring. Claire had assumed he was strong from the look of him, but not  _ that  _ strong. 

Something wasn’t right about these people. She knew it. She just wished Leon was awake to help her figure it out.

Regardless, it was a relief to have her hands and legs free. If she needed to run - or fight - she could now. But after seeing what Chris could do, she wasn’t so sure that would be helpful anymore.

"Chris, why don't you take Leon to Rebecca?" Jill said. "He might need some first-aid."

Chris let out a sigh. "Sure." He picked Leon up with ease, mumbled something under his breath, and carried him out of the room.

"You're not gonna like...do anything to him, are you?" Claire asked.

"No, no, of course not," Jill said with a chuckle. "Rebecca will take good care of him. She's a doctor."

A doctor? What was a doctor doing here?

Claire had accepted that asking questions was pointless, but Jill seemed to notice her confusion. "Don't worry, Claire. You'll get answers - probably, anyways. But in the meantime, Ada, why don't you show her to your room? She could use a change of clothes."

Ada gave her a sideways look. "Why me?"

"Barry and I will go talk to Wesker," Jill explained. "Right, Barry?"

"If we must," Barry said.

Ada didn't look happy with that arrangement and shot Claire another look that made her shudder. Something about the way Ada looked at her made her feel like she was being sized up like a slab of meat. "Fine. Come with me."


End file.
